Fireflies
by theunhappytwins
Summary: When she was eleven, she caught fireflies. Calne CaxIroha. Twoshot, for Ryuchu's contest.
1. Calne Ca

**AN: Okay, so I hated my earlier story for the contest .**

**So, this is the new one, for YET ANOTHER unappreciated pairing I support. **

When she was eleven, she had caught fireflies.

She walked outside, leaning on her cane.

"Are you okay?" Taito frowned, grabbing her arm. "You don't..."

The small girl nodded.

As the two of them walked towards the park, she felt stares directed at her. She pulled the hood further down her face.

Taito shook his head. "We really shouldn't have done this...You know Mom and Dad don't let you outside anymore..."

She shook her head, and then pointed at the park.

The sun was beginning to set as they walked towards the park.

Taito had taken out his book and was reading it in the dim light.

As he was preoccupied, she had held out her hand.

A firefly landed on it.

She smiled for the first time in so many years, and held out both hands.

More glowing lights landed on them.

She spun around in a circle, looking at the glowing lights.

Others were trying to catch them, but she didn't notice them. She'd always preferred bugs to people, after all.

For a few minutes, she felt normal. She didn't need a cane, she didn't need to cover everything with baggy clothes, she didn't have to rely on her brother for everything.

She was free.

Then, reality struck, and she lost balance, falling to the ground.

Fighting back tears, she got up, but her leg failed her again.

She wouldn't ask Taito for help, she wouldn't ask Taito for help, she could do things on her own...

The girl, a year older than her, bent down to her level. "What are you doing?"

She bit her lip, and heaved herself of the ground.

She swayed on her feet, but stayed standing.

"Hey!"

She turned towards the voice.

The pink-haired girl with the long ponytail waved. "Are you all right?"

She nodded.

"Want me to help you? Is your leg hurt? What's your name?"

She shook her head, out of habit. Wobbling, she walked towards the tree Taito was under. The pink-haired girl followed her.

"Oh, is that cane yours? You broke your leg? Oh my God, you broke your leg! Does it hurt? Can I sign your cast?"

Even if she had been able to speak, she wouldn't have been able to say a word in response to the torrent that came out of the pinkette's mouth. So she remained silent, and picked up her cane.

The pink-haired girl turned to Taito. "Hey! Are you her brother?"

"Yes." He cast a confused look at her.

"Well, I'm her new friend! Well, she didn't say that. Or anything. But I think I'm her friend, and that's what counts!"

Taito just stared at her.

"I'm Nekomura Iroha! Nice to meet you!" Iroha pumped her fist in the air.

She walked away.

Iroha immediately turned around. "Hey! Where are you going?!"

She shook her head, and pointed in the opposite direction.

Iroha giggled. "Aww, you're not getting away from me like that! My friend Mew always tries to, but I know we're really the best of friends!"

She sighed and sat down on a rock.

Iroha giggled, sitting next to her. "Can you talk?"

She shook her head.

Iroha looked shocked for a second, and then continued. "Can you write?"

She nodded.

"Okay! What's your name?"

She sketched two words in the dirt with her cane.

"That's a really pretty name!"

She sketched out something else.

'Why are you talking to me?'

"Well, you were really cool!"

'What?'

Iroha leaned her chin on one hand. "How you got all those fireflies around you! Look, one's crawling on your sleeve right now!"

She smiled. 'I like bugs.'

Iroha grinned. "Cats are better, if you ask me."

'But they shed. I'm not allowed near things that shed.'

Iroha gasped. "But...pets always shed! Do you mean to say that you don't have any pets!? You poor thing..."

'Pets aren't that important. And I have a lot of beetles.'

Iroha sighed. "You, my friend, do not understand how important cats are."

*line break*

She was 12 now. It was winter.

Sometimes, she'd look out the window of her room and watch the others on their way to school.

Sometimes, Iroha would pass by. The pinkette would look up and wave, and continue on her way.

Sometimes, when her hands worked well enough, she'd wave at her , a month after they had met, Iroha had opened the door and asked to see her.

Her parents had shouted at her, and slammed the door.

Most of the time, though, she wasn't even at the window. Instead, she was in the hospital.

That was where she had to live now.

She looked up at the white ceiling, bored as usual.

The television was blaring, that horror show that came on late at night. Taito was a fan, so she recorded it for him.

She glanced at the screen, saw two children in white clothing wandering through the woods, and sighed.

The door opened.

She turned off the television. A small figure stood in the doorway.

"Hello-"

"YOU'RE HERE!"

Iroha ran towards the bed, stopping just short of its rim.

"Hi, I really wanted to see you again, but your parents were /jerks/, so anyway, I waited like a year before my big sis told me she knew your brother's cousin, and so I went and talked to him, and he told me you were here, and I talked to the doctor and told him I was your friend and didn't know you were here, and he was surprised, and here I am!"

She tried to comprehend it.

"And here's a notebook and pen, because I really want to talk to you!" She took out the mentioned items.

"What happened? Why are you in the hospital?"

'I'm sick.'

"I kind of knew that, but what are you sick with?"

'I have a disease that...withers my body.'

Iroha looked at her. "Withers? How does that work?"

'My other hand doesn't work. Neither do my legs. My lungs have some trouble, too.'

Iroha frowned. "...What were you watching?"

'What?'

Iroha smiled. "I don't really like thinking about sad things. You don't either, right? So, what were you watching?"

'I don't know what it's called. It's this horror show my brother likes.'

"What's it like?"

She was still for a moment. 'It makes no sense.'

"What?"

'The main villain is a cat-'

"A CAT!" Iroha squealed.

She stared at Iroha in shock and a little terror.

"Come on, let's go watch it! Now! _There are cats!_"

*line break*

Iroha had visited her often from then on. Years had passed, with only (presumably) Taito and Iroha's sister knowing about Iroha sneaking in.

Iroha had told her about her friends, SeeU and Mew, and her general life.

To her, it sounded like a fantasy. Interacting with people other than her family, doctors, and Iroha...what would it be like?

She knew that at this point she was hideous. Her limbs were withered, as was part of her face. She couldn't talk to Iroha anymore, so the pink-haired girl did most of the talking.

She always had.

She was fifteen now. She had to keep an oxygen mask on to stay alive.

She knew that she would die.

The door slowly opened.

Iroha stood there, her hair in its usual ponytail down her back.

She wanted to talk to her again.

The pink-haired girl sat down on her bed, near her leg. The pinkette pushed back the hair from her blind left eye.

"You're really going to die, huh?"

She touched her cheek.

"I...don't want you to die."

The machine monitoring her vitals beeped, rhythmically.

_Beep...beep...beep..._

"DON'T DIE!" Iroha grabbed her hand, tears running down her cheeks.

_Beep...beep...beep..._

"You're...my only friend..."

_Only friend?_

_Beep...beep...beep..._

"Don't leave!"

She stared at Iroha in shock with her good eye.

_Beep...beep...beep..._

"DON'T!"

_Iroha..._

_Beep...beep...beep..._

_I love..._

_Beeeeeeep..._


	2. Iroha

**AN: And, here's Iroha's side of the story! WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE.**

When she was eleven, she had caught fireflies.

She nestled in the tree, looking up at the stars in the sky.

A firefly floated near her, and she quickly caught it.

She leapt down from the tree, chasing after more fireflies.

She laughed, and saw them gathering.

She ran towards the lights, and stopped short.

A girl seemed to be attracting them. Her long turquoise hair hung down in pigtails, and she was completely covered in baggy clothing.

That girl was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

She spun around, aglow with fireflies perched on her.

Then, she stumbled, off-balance. She collapsed to the ground.

She ran towards the teal-haired girl. "What are you doing?"

The girl almost fell down again, but managed to stand unsteadily.

"Are you all right?"

The girl gave a small nod.

She smiled brightly. Didn't want to get off on the wrong foot and have someone else hate her. "Want me to help you? Is your leg hurt? What's your name?"

The girl walked ahead, barely able to keep in a straight line. She walked towards a tree, under which a purple-haired boy sat reading. A white cane lay by him.

Iroha followed her. She was going to hate her, Iroha was a worthless child... "Oh, is that cane yours? You broke your leg? Oh my God, you broke your leg! Does it hurt? Can I sign your cast?"

The teal-haired girl was silent, picking up her cane.

_She hates me...I'm worthless, pathetic..._

She turned to the purple-haired boy. "Hey! Are you her brother?" If she talked to him, she might be able to get into the girl's good graces...or at least end up pitied by her.

"Yes."

At least he'd talked to her! That was really great for her!

"Well, I'm her new friend. Well, she didn't say that. Or anything. But I think that I'm her friend, and that's what counts!"

She hated the way she said it, but being happy was the only thing that mattered.

What was that line from that one creepy poem?

_The only kind act of a person is to wear his smiling masks._*

He was silent, staring at her in shock.

She giggled and introduced herself. "Nice to meet you!" She pumped her fist in the air.

The girl had walked off, leaning on her cane.

She ran after her. _She couldn't lose her!_

"Hey, where are you going?"

_Don't leave me._

She shook her head, and pointed away from her.

_She hates me. Like everyone else._

She laughed falsely. "Aw, you're not getting away from me like that! My friend Mew always tries to, but I know we're really the best of friends!"

_If only people could always be like her and SeeU...they're so nice..._

The girl sighed, sitting down on a rock.

She giggled, and sat down next to her. "Can you talk?"

Mew and SeeU had trouble talking sometimes, too...

She shook her head.

She almost clapped her hands happily. Great! She might not hate her, after all!

"Can you write?"

The girl nodded.

"Okay! What's your name?"

The girl sketched two words into the dirt with her cane.

'Calne Ca.'

What a beautiful name. Beautiful.

The girl sketched out more words.

'Why are you talking to me?'

She stared. This girl actually didn't think that she was perfect..

"You seemed really cool!"

'What?'

She leaned her chin on one hand, inspecting the teal-haired girl. "How you got all those fireflies around you! Look, one's crawling on your sleeve right now!" She reached out a finger and touched the bug.

The girl seemed to smile beneath her black hood. 'I like bugs.'

"Cats are better, if you ask me."

'But they shed. I'm not allowed near things that shed.'

She gasped. "But...pets always shed! Do you mean to say that you don't have any pets!" Did this girl...did she not have anything? Pets were the only thing that would love someone unconditionally... "You poor thing..."

'Pets aren't that important.'

_What?!_

As the teal-haired girl continued to write something, she stared at her in shock.

"You poor thing..."

She opened the door, trembling.

Mew and SeeU ran up to her, and she hugged them. "Hey, guys!"

Mew purred, rubbing against her legs.

She scratched the grey tabby's head, and then petted SeeU too, not wanting her to feel left out.

"Wh...Whatcha doin' here!"

She grabbed SeeU and Mew to her chest. "I-I...I j-just got home, Daddy."

She smelled alchohol on his breath as he lurched in the doorway. "Well, why dint'cha tell me that!" He swung his fist forwards, knocking her backwards as it impacted with her cheek. The cats hissed. Blearily, he glared at them, and then swung his booted foot into the delicate Siamese cat.

"SeeU!" she shouted.

The cat meowed weakly.

"D-Don'tcha tell me off!"

He kicked her this time, landing heavily on her ribs. She coughed, a small amount of blood coming from her mouth.

"That showssh ya not to mess wif' me...stupid lil' bitch..."

She opened the door, knocking nervously with her good hand.

The haughty-looking teal-haired woman glared at her. "What are you doing here?"

SeeU, winding around her feet, purred to help give her confidence. She smiled brightly. "I'm a friend of Calne Ca's! Are you her mom-"

"LIAR!"

She shrunk back.

"She never goes outside." the woman spat. "I don't know what you're trying to pull on me, but it's not working."

The door slammed in her face.

She sank to her knees, holding SeeU to her chest.

_I'm worthless. Useless._

Tears streamed down her face.

_Worthless..._

After that, she never tried to visit Calne again. She just waved happily to her whenever she passed by the window.

She punched the number in on the phone.

"Hey, Luka?"

_"Yes?"_ Her older sister sounded curious. _"What is it?"_

"I...uh, did you ever know a guy named Taito?"

_"Yes. He was a few years younger than me..."_

"Okay..."

Mew walked up to her and lay down by her feet. She smiled, looking at her.

"Do you know where he lives?"

_"Hm? I think so...it's probably in my old stuff. The notes about the student body."_

Yes, Luka had been student council president...She opened the door. She walked over to Luka's side of the room, fishing in the pile of schoolwork on Luka's otherwise empty bed.

She smiled. Luka-nee, at least, had gotten out of there. She'd been smart enough to get a full scholarship. Iroha plucked out the sheet of notebook paper Luka had mentioned, and smiled.

_"Imouto...does he..."_

"Yes?"

_"Nothing."_ Luka's voice was quiet. _"Forget I asked."_

She smiled, the same smile she put on for everyone else, even though Luka couldn't see. "Okay! Bye-bye, Luka-nee!"

_"Bye..."_

She put the phone down.

He would hit her for taking away the phone, but she didn't care.

She had a way to talk to her friend.

She picked it up again, dialing the number of Taito.

She bit her lip, standing outside the hospital door.

_She_ was in there. Calne Ca.

She couldn't be nervous. She had to be strong.

She opened the door.

She heard high-pitched voices from a television quickly quiet down.

The teal-haired girl looked at her.

She looked back.

"YOU'RE HERE!" she shouted in glee, running towards the bed.

Her friend gave her a look of sheer shock.

"Hi, I really wanted to see you again, but your parents were /jerks/, so anyway, I waited like a year before my big sis told me she knows your brother, and so I went and talked to him, and he told me you were here, and I talked to the doctor and told him I was your friend and didn't know you were here, and he was surprised, and here I am!"

The two had become closer, and years had passed, the teal-haired girl's body withering away as they did.

She had fallen more and more in love with the ill girl as the years had progressed.

She had laughed, telling Calne a story of a perfect life, about a sister who was more than checks delivered to pay the bills, friends who were human, two kind parents.

She had no way to tell any of the true horror.

She opened the door to the shabby apartment.

Her father stood there, eyes narrowed in rage, the smell of alcohol emanating from his pores.

She stopped quickly, clutching SeeU to her chest. Mew had died of old age years ago, but that was something that she would never tell Calne...

"What. Ish. Thish."

It was a picture...

Of Calne Ca.

And she had forgotten to erase the heart she had drawn near it.

"You FUCKING DYKE!" His fist plowed into her cheek.

She spat out a tooth, and stared at him in terror.

"FUCKING...LESBO..." He hit her again and again, battering her like a broken doll.

SeeU burst out of her arms, hissing.

He kicked the cat, sending it to the wall.

There was a crack, and SeeU lay limp.

She ran, tears streaming down her face.

_Calne..._

She slowly opened the door.

The life support machine slowly beeped as her friend lay on the bed.

The bruised girl pushed teal hair back from her friend's eyes. "You're...really going to die, huh?"

She touched her pale cheek.

_Mew's dead. SeeU's dead. Luka's good as dead._

"I...don't want you to die."

_Beep...beep...beep..._

"DON'T DIE!" She grabbed the withered hand. Her tears stained the white sheets.

_Beep...beep...beep..._

"You're...my only friend..." Her shoulders heaved with sobs.

_Beep...beep...beep..._

"Don't leave!"

_Beep...beep...beep..._

"DON'T!"

_Beep...beep...beep..._

"I..." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "...Love you..."

_Beeeeeeep..._

* Line from the song Crazy Clown, by Kaito and Miku.


End file.
